Early years

Lang was born in Edmonton, Alberta, the daughter of Audrey and Adam Frederick Lang.[4] She is of English, Irish, Scottish, German, Russian Jewish, Icelandic, and Sioux ancestry.[5] When Lang was nine months old, her family moved to Consort, Alberta, where she grew up with two sisters and one brother on the Canadian prairie.[6] Her father was a drug store owner and left the family when she was twelve.[6] After secondary school, Lang attended Red Deer College, where she became fascinated with the life and music of Patsy Cline and ultimately determined to pursue a career as a professional singer.[7] She formed a Patsy Cline tribute band called the Reclines in 1983, and they recorded a debut album, Friday Dance Promenade at Sundown Recorders which was owned by Larry Wanagas who immediately dropped everything to become her personal manager. The first band featured Stu Macdougal on keys, Dave Bjarnson on drums, Gary Koligar on guitar and bassist Farley Scott. The Reclines regularly played the legendary Sidetrack Cafe, a local venue that featured live bands six nights a week. In 1983, Lang presented a performance-art piece, a seven-hour re-enactment of the transplantation of an artificial heart for Barney Clark, a retired American dentist.[8][9]A Truly Western Experience was released in 1984 and received strong reviews and led to national attention in Canada. In August 1984, Lang was one of three Canadian artists to be selected to perform at the World Science Fair in Tsukuba, Japan (along with other performing and recording contracts throughout Japan).[citation needed] Singing at country and western venues in Canada, Lang made several recordings that received very positive reviews and earned a 1985 Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist. She accepted the award wearing a wedding dress and made numerous tongue-in-cheek promises about what she would and would not do in the future, thus fulfilling the title of 'Most Promising'. She has won a total of eight Juno Awards. In 1986, Lang signed a contract with an American record producer in Nashville, Tennessee, and received critical acclaim for her 1987 album, Angel with a Lariat, which was produced by Dave Edmunds.

2014 and Broadway

Lang made her Broadway debut as the "Special Guest Star" in Broadway's After Midnight, replacing Fantasia Barrino and to be succeeded by Toni Braxton and Babyface. She appeared from February 11 to March 9, 2014.[21]

Activism

Lang, who came out as a lesbian in a June 1992 article of the LGBT news magazine The Advocate,[22] has championed gay rights causes. She has supported many causes over the years, including HIV/AIDS care and research. Her cover of Cole Porter's "So in Love" (from the Broadway musical, Kiss Me, Kate), appears on the Red Hot + Blue compilation album and video from 1990 (a tribute to Cole Porter to benefit AIDS research and relief). Her 2010 Greatest Hits album, Recollection, also includes this cover of "So in Love". Lang also recorded the song "Fado Hilario, " singing in Portuguese, for the 1999 Red Hot AIDS benefit album "Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon, " a traditional fado from Portugal. She is an animal rights activist. Her "Meat Stinks" campaign created much controversy, particularly in her hometown, in the middle of Alberta's cattle ranching industry. Lang appeared on the cover of the August 1993 issue of Vanity Fair photographed by Herb Ritts. The cover featured Lang in a barber chair while model Cindy Crawford appeared to shave her face with a straight razor.[23] The issue contained a detailed article about Lang which observed that she had thought that she would be ostracized by the country music industry when she came out as a lesbian. However, Nashville was accepting, and her records continued to sell. When she appeared in an ad for PETA, Nashville was less impressed, owing to the relationship between country music and cattle ranching.[24] In April 2008, Lang spent time in Melbourne, Australia, as a guest editorialist for The Age. This was in connection with her support for the Tibethuman rights issues. On April 24, 2008, she joined pro-Tibet protesters in Canberra as the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay made its way through the Australian capital.[25] In 2011, Lang was inducted to Q Hall of Fame Canada in recognition of the work she has done to further equality for all peoples around the world.[26]